SNP stakes claim to seabed after branding Crown Estate ‘feudal’

The Scottish Government has set out its case to end what it describes as the “anachronistic” way marine resources are managed.

The SNP Administration wants control of the Crown Estate, which manages the seabed, part of the foreshore and some land.

The First Minister, Alex Salmond, aims to divert funds from the estate to Edinburgh by persuading the UK Government to amend legislation on devolution. Across the UK, the commission’s holdings were worth about £183.5 million in 2009-10.

Mr Salmond, who outlined the plan at an economic forum in Edinburgh yesterday, said the sums were “not huge” at present, adding: “We’re talking about an operating surplus of perhaps £9 million a year. It’s not, in public finance terms, a huge amount of money. In terms…